1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a disposable hypodermic syringe which is adapted to reduce the frequency of accidental and, in some cases, life threatening, needle strikes while reducing instances of possible drug abuse by preventing reuse of the syringe needle by drug abusers.
2. PRIOR ART
Hypodermic syringes are used for a variety of injection procedures including the delivery of medicinal drugs to a recipient. However, once the injection procedure is completed and the syringe cylinder emptied, problems may arise as a consequence of failing to properly and adequately dispose of the syringe. By way of a first example, the syringe may be used to treat a patient having a communicable disease. To prevent reuse, the hypodermic needle is sometimes broken before the syringe is discarded. Health care workers are susceptible to accidental and potentially infectious needle strikes due to the careless handling of the hypodermic needle when breaking the needle or disposing of the syringe after use. The resulting mini-accidents caused by an accidental needle strike typically require a blood test for such disease as AIDS and hepatitis. The corresponding cost and inefficiency of testing health care workers who have received an inadvertent needle strike results in considerable waste, which may be particularly damaging to a health care facility striving for economy and efficiency.
By way of second example, drug addicts have been known to rummage through the trash of a health facility in an effort to find emptied syringes which have been discarded after use. Such syringes are often reused in an illicit capacity, whereby to promote drug abuse and the possible spread of contagious disease among drug users. Unfortunately, no disposable syringe is presently known which includes means to reliably reduce the frequency of accidental needle strikes suffered by health care workers while preventing reuse of the syringe by drug users.